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Page 1
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Hidden cameras, scandalous headlines and 21 charges of child pornography ...
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Page 2
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As his legal problems mount, Kelly hooks up with Britney, J. Lo and others ...
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Page 3
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Kelly insists he's no monster, but some fans smash his CDs in protest ...
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Page 4
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Kelly hits it big by toning down the sex talk and revving up 'Ignition' ...
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R. Kelly: In His Own Words
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Mary J. Blige: Love Of My Life
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Ashanti: Inc.credible
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Beyoncé: Genuinely In Love
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B2K: They Just Wanna Luv U
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"I just think there are a lot of people out there that are misinformed about who I am."
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"I've done a lot of things that I regret," Kelly told MTV News' John Norris at the time. "I've done a lot of things that are wrong. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of time to lay out all of my sins. I got a lot that's in me that I'm dealing with personally, and I'm seeking help. I've been talking to a pastor, Rev. [James] Meeks in Chicago, and he's been counseling me on some personal things that I'm going through. But I'm not a guy that would do what people are saying. There are a lot of people out there saying that R. Kelly is a monster, and I just think there are a lot of people out there that are misinformed about who I am."
Again, Kelly offered no flat-out denial. Kelly added that it was a possibility that he could've unknowingly had sex with an underage girl, since he generally assumes the women he meets in 21-and-up clubs are at least 21, and he doesn't ask for ID. But Kelly's most puzzling comment was that he insisted the man on the tape wasn't him, yet he said he hadn't actually seen the tape and claimed he had no interest in viewing the evidence against him.
The interview backfired on Kelly. Many thought he sounded evasive, using doubletalk to avoid a frank discussion of the accusations. MTVNews.com polls and e-mail indicated that not only did most people think it was Kelly on the tape, but fewer people believed Kelly was innocent after seeing the interview than thought so before (read the You Tell Us feedback).
In his own backyard, a mix of Windy City church folk, community activists and disgruntled fans rallied against him. Chicago's WGCI-FM decided to continue playing Kelly's music, considering him innocent until proven guilty, according to Program Director Elroy Smith. "Of course there was a group that totally opposed our decision," Smith said. "They decided to come out in front of the radio station and smash CDs in front of WGCI, which still didn't change our mind." Meanwhile, radio stations nationwide and outlets like MTV continued to play Kelly's music.
On top of Kelly's legal and public-relations problems, he was getting burned by another bootleg — the leak of his highly anticipated LP with Jay-Z, The Best of Both Worlds. With no videos or even an official single from the disc, the anticipated tours, merchandising and multiplatinum success were squelched. The icon's career seemed in dire jeopardy.
Kelly's response was to take refuge in the one place he felt at home. He went back in the lab and kept quiet about the controversy.
"What the allegations did was they allowed him to see his true friends and true fans," assesses Phil Robinson, Kelly's longtime friend and business adviser. "With the gift he has, I think the allegations brought out the best in him, they brought out the best music. He buried himself in his craft. He gave you the best that there is, and people love the music."
As he poured his heart into his craft, Kelly's new music surfaced on the radio and in the street. His bootlegged Loveland album, which featured the original version of "Step in the Name of Love," among other gems, was rampantly being scooped up for about $5.00, and Kelly further addressed his legal hardship by releasing the single "Heaven I Need a Hug."
"We opened up the line to be fair, to see exactly what the pulse of the listeners was," WGCI's Smith remembers. "Sixty-five percent of the listeners said [we should] continue to support his music because it is all about his music."
Robinson says he and the rest of Kelly's camp had no idea how the new tunes would be received. "When you're in your darkest times or your worst times, you don't who [will abandon you]. It could be your family member, it's not just the fans. You don't know."
Meanwhile, the industry wanted to tap into Kelly's talent. Dave McPherson, head of Sony Urban Music, gave him two important assignments: craft a jam that would make adults take B2K a little more seriously, and give Ginuwine just the right banger to help set off his LP The Senior.
Kelly's greatest turnaround, however, involved one of his own songs.
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Photo: MTV News
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